Syracuse basketball: UNC loss has the Orange helpless on the bubble

The goal for bubble teams is to advance as far on Championship Week as possible so help their resume. Syracuse’s week is done, putting them in a helpless position for the next few days.

Yesterday was the first round of the ACC Tournament, and all three favorites (Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Boston College) handled business. But those wins had no impact on any resumes, making today the real start of Championship.

For a team like Syracuse, it was clear what they needed to do. On our now daily Bracketology update, we have Syracuse as one of our “First Four Out”, clearly needing a win to keep the team’s bubble from popping. That’s because a loss would end the Orange’s week, with many bubble teams still having a chance to improve their resumes.

It was going to be a tough task playing the six seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, but Syracuse was within one possession with a couple of minutes to go in Chapel Hill, showing that they were capable of winning.

But this was a much different scenario, with Syracuse having played less than 24 hours before. Kids can play a lot, but when a team has three of the top seven players in the country in minutes played, it’s simply an uphill battle versus a superior team.

The Orange were down by double figures for most of the game, but a run brought it within single-digits with four minutes to go. But the tired legs got the best of the players, falling 78-59 to a much fresher Tar Heels team.

There’s nothing else Syracuse 20-13 (8-10) can do. Their resume just doesn’t look strong, outside of a late-season win over Clemson, along with victories over Virginia Tech, Miami, and Louisville. But the losses to Georgia Tech and Wake Forest loom large now.

Next: 2018 ACC Tournament Breakdown

The biggest hope for Syracuse is that all the other bubble teams fall, and even that might not work. But the Orange fans have been in a similar position before, with a surprising result in a recent Selection Sunday affair. For this team’s sake, let’s hope that’s the case once again.